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Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

The prior thread on this subject was apparently deleted accidentally — we still aren’t sure how that happened. So here’s a new one.

I’ll start with with this. I think the concepts of what we have long called liberalism and conservatism are changing. Trump’s rise may be a symptom of that transformation. Here’s a piece that examines Trump and traditional American liberalism. I now there are others out there about his impact on conservatism. If you know of any, please post.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

Jenna Abrams was a popular figure in right-wing social media circles. Boasting nearly 70,000 followers, Abrams was featured in numerous news articles during the 2016 election, spotlighted by outlets as varied as USA Today, the Washington Post, the BBC, and Yahoo! Sports. Her tweet about CNN airing porn during Anthony Bourdain’s show (it didn’t) was reported by numerous outlets.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

I was thinking that Peter Sellers would play the person who caused the old thread to be deleted.

Last edited by LA Ute; 11-06-2017 at 03:14 PM.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

Nah. We have guys with beards on our high council. I did shave, but only after no one was suggesting any longer that I do so. (I do have an inner rebel.)

Last edited by LA Ute; 11-07-2017 at 08:19 AM.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

Since her election loss Hillary Clinton has been a constant media presence trying to explain all the reasons lost the election (my latest count is 30 excuses). Along with her blame game, at times Ms. Clinton has hinted she might run again in 2020. By drawing the coverage, Hillary’s been squeezing out other Democrats from receiving coverage.

Enter Donna Brazile, whose book “Hacks” feeds the rumor her winning of the nomination wasn’t fair, claims that the campaign was incompetent, had racist and misogynistic elements, and was too arrogant in its belief they had the election won to listen to advice that they were in trouble.

If Hillary Clinton’s book is named, “What Happened,” Brazile’s book could have been titled “What Really Happened.” Donna Brazile is a long-time Democratic Party operative who twice served as interim chairman of the party. She wouldn’t have written a book bashing Hillary Clinton if she wasn’t trying to free the party from the grasp of the Clinton machine.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

While I don't believe the more click-bait worthy parts of her story, this caught my eye:

Apparently, President Obama left the party $24 million in debt after the 2012 campaign and had been paying that off very slowly. Brazile claimed the party (under Debbie Wasserman Schultz), the Hillary Victory Fund, and Hillary for America signed a secret joint agreement that said, in exchange for the Hillary Campaign to raising money to help make the party solvent, Hillary would control the party’s personnel, finances, strategy, and all the money raised.”

A candidate usually takes over the party once they win the nomination, but this occurred a year prior to earning the nomination, which meant that during the heart of the primary process, the party decisions were made by the Clintons, which most probably were made to help the Clintons.

That is shady AF and explains why they iced Bernie out.

They needed Hillary to win because they hitched their financial wagon to the Clintons.

My own 3 kids are pretty unimpressed by both political parties. This CNN poll suggests that most people are down on the Dems and the GOP. The headline here is a bit misleading, because the Repubs are even worse off; the story is that they haven't dropped as much as the Dems.

Our political elites in both parties are pretty much stinking things up these days. Awful leadership, much more interested in pleasing their donors than in making good policy.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

My own 3 kids are pretty unimpressed by both political parties. This CNN poll suggests that most people are down on the Dems and the GOP. The headline here is a bit misleading, because the Repubs are even worse off; the story is that they haven't dropped as much as the Dems.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

When Trump was asked last Thursday by Fox News host Laura Ingraham about the impact of more than 100 senior State Department positions that remain unfilled, he said the positions weren’t needed.
“The one that matters is me,” Trump said. “I'm the only one that matters because when it comes to it, that's what the policy is going to be. You've seen that, you've seen it strongly.”

Ambassadors are quitting in droves from the Trump administration. Trump don't care.

Maybe all those ambassadors don’t like representing a president who often talks and acts like a third-world dictator.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

What’s weird about this story is that despite its length and detail about the Podesta firm’s sudden demise — including the likelihood that it won’t even meet its next payroll — the piece says hardly anything about the reasons why this is happening. There’s only this paragraph:

The indictment accused Manafort of hiring the Podesta Group — identified as “Company B” — to lobby for an ostensibly independent nonprofit that “was under the ultimate direction” of the Ukrainian president, his party and the Ukrainian government. Neither Podesta nor the Podesta Group has been charged publicly with any crimes.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

I understand and sympathize with this writer’s concerns about the antics and statements of El Jefe Covfefe, but I think he comes to the wrong conclusion. The headline is a bit jarring at first but then again, I guess not for the NY Times.

Last edited by LA Ute; 11-12-2017 at 12:56 PM.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

The UCLA basketball playing shoplifters having achieved "salvation by Trump" has to be one of the funnier episodes this year.

We have Trump playing His Royal Highness, which keeps the SNL writers happy.

LiAngelo Ball's gratitude video will predictably result in thermonuclear anger from the broader UCLA ecosystem and faculty toward Steve Alford, for bringing such monumental shame and humiliation upon John Wooden's legacy by allowing LaVar Ball and his kin into the shrine... in turn laying the foundation for Trump "rescuing" UCLA.

The whole episode shows what a wily negotiator Trump is. He used his personal relationship with Xi to get this balateral deal done and make America great again. I dont know why so many foreign policy experts say Trump is abdicating America's role in Asia and leaving a leadership void that China is filling. Trump can fleece anybody ant the negotiating table; it is all part of the Art of the Deal. Those who say Trump accomplished nothing on this trip are just plain wrong.

Elizabeth Warren made a salient point - there's no leadership in the Democratic Party right now, and that's probably OK. It's a grassroots reactive movement.

I have a theory that we're in a longer period of increasingly sizable oscillations in political power, as economic turbulence causes much of the electoral to be very angry, frustrated and ready to pull the trigger for big change, in every cycle.

Republicans are the Party of Trump, and have completely forgotten a hot button issue from just last year - deficits / debt. The less Democrats talk (right now), the more (temporary) power they accumulate.

Elizabeth Warren made a salient point - there's no leadership in the Democratic Party right now, and that's probably OK. It's a grassroots reactive movement.

I have a theory that we're in a longer period of increasingly sizable oscillations in political power, as economic turbulence causes much of the electoral to be very angry, frustrated and ready to pull the trigger for big change, in every cycle.

Republicans are the Party of Trump, and have completely forgotten a hot button issue from just last year - deficits / debt. The less Democrats talk (right now), the more (temporary) power they accumulate.

Every off-year election during a president's first term goes this way (only recent exception is 2002 because of 9/11). Obama managed to get creamed in both of his off-year elections, to historic proportions. I would not be surprised to see Trump get clobbered even worse than Obama did.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats

“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”